Screen-Smart Summer Activities for Toronto Kids
July 19, 2026 | MakerKids Team Screen-smart summer activities help Toronto kids create with screens rather than just scroll, from coding a game to designing 3D worlds, all balanced with time outside. The goal is not zero screen time but better screen time: swapping passive watching for building, making, and problem-solving, while keeping the active, outdoor hours summer is made for. What does “screen-smart” actually mean? It means the type of screen time matters as much as the amount. Canada’s 24-Hour Movement Guidelines recommend that kids aged 5 to 17 get no more than two hours of recreational screen time a day, and research links staying near that mark to better mental health. But that guidance is about passive, recreational use, the endless scroll and autoplay. Creating a game is a different activity from watching someone else play one. Screen-smart summer is about shifting the balance: fewer hours consuming, more hours making, and plenty of time off the screen entirely. Here are ten ways to do it in Toronto this summer. Source: Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (CSEP) , Government of Canada 6 screen-smart summer activities for Toronto kids Turn game-playing into game-making. Instead of playing a game, your child can build one in Scratch, a free block-based coding tool made for kids. It is the same hours on a screen, spent creating instead of consuming. Build something real in Minecraft. Challenge your child to recreate a Toronto landmark like the CN Tower, or to wire up a working machine with redstone. Minecraft becomes an engineering sandbox when there is a goal attached. Make a stop-motion movie. With a free app and some toys or clay, kids can plan, shoot, and edit a short film. It sneaks in storytelling, patience, and basic video editing. Try a free coding challenge. Scratch offers guided projects kids can work through at their own pace, no experience needed. Twenty minutes a day adds up fast over a summer. Go on a tech-and-nature photo walk. Take a phone or camera to High Park, a local ravine, or your own neighbourhood, hunt for interesting shots, then edit the best ones at home. Screens meet fresh air and movement. Build one real project all summer. A structured class or camp gives kids a bigger goal, like finishing a game or a robot, plus the routine that is easy to lose over the break. It is screen time with something to show for it at the end. Keep the momentum going Some of the best screen-smart activities are easier with a bit of structure and a guide, especially when you want your child building real skills over the summer rather than starting and stopping. Make screen time count this summer. Explore MakerKids coding, robotics, and STEM programs in Toronto and online → Classes and camps run all summer in Leaside, Bloor West Village, Mississauga, and virtually. FAQ What are screen-smart activities for kids? Screen-smart activities use screens to create rather than just consume, like coding a game, making a stop-motion film, 3D designing, or digital storytelling. The focus is on building and problem-solving instead of passive watching. How much screen time is healthy for kids? Canada’s 24-Hour Movement Guidelines recommend no more than two hours of recreational screen time per day for kids aged 5 to 17. That limit targets passive, recreational use, so creative and educational screen time is generally viewed differently. What can Toronto kids do over the summer besides passive screen time? Plenty: code a game in Scratch, build a Toronto landmark in Minecraft, 3D print a design at a Toronto Public Library branch, make a movie, go on a photo walk, or join a STEM class or camp, all balanced with outdoor time. Are coding and STEM activities good for summer learning? Yes. They keep kids’ problem-solving and creativity active over the break and turn screen time into skill-building, which helps counter the summer learning slide. Where can kids do STEM activities in Toronto? At home with free tools like Scratch and Code.org, at Toronto Public Library Digital Innovation Hubs, or through structured programs like MakerKids classes and camps in Leaside, Bloor West Village, Mississauga, and online. The post Screen-Smart Summer Activities for Toronto Kids appeared first on MakerKids .